Bill Boyd steps down from board of Boyd Gaming

Boyd Gaming is one of the most successful gambling companies in the United States, and the world, operating out of Nevada, and owing some of the most prominent gaming and hospitality properties to date, has parted with one of its top people. This success story would not have been written had it not been for the father-and-son duo Bill and Sam Boyd.

Bill, the son of Sam, is a co-founder of the company, and one of its most prominent members to this very date. However, the man who helped build an empire has now decided that the time for a deserved retirement from the Board of Directors has finally arrived.

As a result, Bill will be stepping down from his post as co-Executive Chairman, leaving the role to his colleague, Marianne Boyd Johnson, a long-standing company veteran with extensive experience and a proven track record in directing Boyd Gaming to profitability and larger strategic achievement.

Bill will instead be granted the title of Chairman Emeritus, which is a role that companies award to exiting board members who have brought around significant contributions to company operations during their tenure. Even then though, Bill is likely to still be involved with the company in a certain capacity, although it would be ultimately Johnson pulling the trigger.

Bill and Sam were amongst the original pioneers of modern-day Las Vegas and Nevada, in terms of gaming. They founded Boyd Gaming in 1975. Bill was working as a lawyer at the time, and he showed a lot of interest in the gaming industry, deciding to get involved with it full-time.

His father decided to help his son get started, and the pair worked at the California Hotel and Casino, which would eventually pave the way for the empire as we know it today. The sprawling reach of Boyd Gaming today features more than 28 casinos that are operated across 10 states.

In Las Vegas alone, the company owns the Main Street Station along with other prominent properties, to wit Sam’s Town, Fremont, Gold Coast, and the Orleans, among others. Johnson seems like a good pick to replace Bill in his part-time position.

She is also the only woman among the remaining seven members of the Board, and undoubtedly a proven veteran and professional, Johnson actually started at the Orleans casino in 1977 and 13 years later, in 1990, she finally made it to the board. It has been more than 30 years during which Johnson has remained one of the key executives for the company.

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